Dr. Shannon Bloch

06/03/2019

Got a really nice surprise being nominated for the 2019 Reader's Choice Awards for top Chiropractor in Guelph! You can click on the link below to vote for me whether you are a patient or not, it would be super appreciated :)

05/14/2019

Hip Mobility ✨

The hip joint is one of the most complex joints in the body with a huge range of motion- in addition, it takes a huge amount of force between its role in mobility between the lower extremity & trunk. Treating weak & tight hips not only helps with low back pain but can help to clear up a lot of injuries & dysfunctions in the lower body.

Hip tightness, weakness or muscle imbalance is extremely common from a variety of causes such as: athletic activities, prolonged sitting, repetitive movements, over-use or lack of use.

What’s the goal when treating hip mobility?
🔹reinstate normal tissue flexibility and movement
🔹allow optimal mobility to best support the kinetic chain (the hip is the gateway region for trunk & lower extremity movement- think of a squat)
🔹decrease pain, tightness, improve function

05/06/2019

Another easy hip opener that can be done at your desk !

This is a great & simple stretch for anterior and lateral hip tightness that can be done just about anywhere! Good for those of us who sit all day, have low back or SI joint pain or just have tight hips in general ✨

To do this stretch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🔹start seated and bring the right shin parallel in front of you making sure it touches the ground
🔹stack the left shin directly on top creating a “square shape” similar to a shin box exercise
🔹bring the left knee down toward the right ankle, you can add a little over pressure with your hand
🔹you can either stay sitting up right (with good posture of coarse) or fold forward to do this stretch
🔹hold for 30-60 seconds & swich sides .

This one is actually derived from the yoga pose Firelog (I remember you teaching us this one Dan Castan Yoga 😉)

04/24/2019

Chiropractic adjustments~ one of the most well known chiropractic techniques. Diversified chiropractic manipulative technique (CMT-D) is typically what most people present to a chiropractor for & involves manipulation of a joint past it’s normal range of motion
~ sometimes resulting in a “popping or clicking” sound & relieving the feeling of “restriction”. This sound is the release of gas from the joint as the pressure within the joint is changed with the chiropractic manipulation.

This can be done in all synovial joints in the body ~ just as many people “crack” their knuckles. It’s important to know that chiropractic adjustments can also be done on the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles etc. Growing bodies of research have recommended CMT-D as one of the first means of treatment for musculoskeletal conditions.

04/08/2019

Probably one the best chiro related articles I’ve read in a long time. Love the focus on custom prehab in addition to rehab for patients.

In summary,
Prehab for sports and proper strength training programs can reduce sport related injuries by nearly 2/3rds & overuse injuries by nearly 50%!

In order to customize a prehabilitation exercise program for a patient, three main points that must be addressed:
• Injury history of the patient: this should include the success and failure of previous treatments.
• Movement competency: knowing how well your patient can squat, hip hinge, etc., is important so we can determine where along the exercise continuum to start with their programming.
• Type and level of participation: the type of sport as well as the level of competition will impact the intensity of exercise prescription.

Also, nice to see that 98% of chiro’s reported to NBCE to be using corrective and/or therapeutic exercises within their treatment plans.

Many people seek out chiropractors for the treatment of various musculoskeletal complaints, most notably lower back pain and neck pain. As chiropracto...

04/03/2019

Using all the techniques ~
Chiropractic treatment can include so much more than just an adjustment!

Typically I like to use a combination of:
🔹muscle work
🔹stretching/strengthening exercises
🔹cupping
🔹taping
🔹rehabilitation exercises
🔹& of coarse mobilization/manipulation

This varies every single time and is based on the patient, the condition & their goals!

03/27/2019

Assess don’t guess ✨

Treatment effectiveness is all about finding the root cause of problems- muscles that are overworking or inhibited, joints that are restricted, referred pain or compensatory problems.

Muscle testing and range of motion assessment is so key to finding where to target treatment.

What do we commonly see ➡️
🔹Neck pain = overuse of the posterior neck muscles (upper traps & levator scapulae) & pecs with weakness in the anterior neck muscles & shoulder stabilizers.
🔹Back pain = overuse of the hip flexors and lumbar musculature with weakness in the core & posterior chain~ hamstrings and glutes (what I’m assessing above ☝️)

But everyone & every condition varies & requires a proper and thorough assessment. Also muscle imbalances & restricted range of motion occurs wayyy before pain begins so an assessment is always beneficial & great proactive health care 👌

03/18/2019

The Webster Technique ✨

Chiropractic treatment during pregnancy can have many benefits & make mom much more comfortable as the body goes through a tremendous amount of change.

The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic technique that’s is used to assess and improve movement in the sacrum (tailbone).

With this technique, chiropractors usually address: movement in the sacrum & SI joints, the piriformis muscle, round ligaments & hip flexors.
All of which are areas that typically cause many pregnancy related conditions such as back pain, sciatica, round ligament pain, p***c symphysis dysfunction & more🤰🏻this technique also is known to help reduce intra-uterine constraint & help improve pelvic position & movement ICPA-International Chiropractic Pediatric Association

03/11/2019

03/04/2019

Hamstrings, glutes & the posterior chain! Why do we need to address lower extremities with back pain??🤷‍♀️

Most of us sit in chairs all day or are constantly doing forward bending activities, this causes a HUGE dominance in our anterior chain muscles like the hip flexors- naturally this causes weakness & inactivity in the posterior chain muscles like the glutes🍑 & hamstrings.

If anyone has seen me for back pain you will know that in every single low back treatment I will assess and address the hamstrings & glutes as well. It’s so important that we expand our views to more than just the back and see what other structures are having an effect.✨

Not only in low back pain cases (pretty much ALL of them) but in the general population most people have anterior chain dominance and posterior chain weakness. Unfortunately this means that your chances of developing low back pain is SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER- more than 80% of adults will suffer from low back pain at some point. BUT simply knowing this is something that can be corrected, managed and prevented!👍

This is why it is SO important to know how to do the right exercises to target specific muscle groups, get proper assessment & treatment and keep your body at its best!🙌

02/21/2019

Do you spend all day at a computer? Look down at your phone constantly? Get headaches or have neck pain??

If so, my next blog is out on my go to exercises for neck pain & tightness. Check it out!

And, includes another video demo of the exercises 😉😀

Neck pain is usually caused from overuse or repetitive motions such as always looking up, down or to one side....

02/13/2019

Check out my latest blog on the 3 Best Exercises for Low Back Pain (including a video demo & instructions so you can try them out at home 😉🙂)

The trick to rehabbing any type of pain is the right balance between flexibility and stability. Pain usually occurs when...